DSU says ABC if you care about education.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 9, 2008

STUDENTS DISAPPOINTED IN HARPER CONSERVATIVES

Halifax, NS – The Dalhousie Student Union (DSU) is encouraging voters who care about post-secondary education to strongly consider voting for anyone but the Conservatives in the upcoming federal election.

The Conservative platform was released on Tuesday, and besides a pledge to award completion grants for apprenticeships in the Red Seal Trades, there were no commitments to make any changes to the post-secondary education system in Canada.

“The Conservative platform is extremely discouraging,” explains Courtney Larkin, President of the DSU. “We try to stay impartial during election time, but there is no way we can stay quiet about what we feel is a slight to Canadian post-secondary students.”

Earlier this year, the Progressive Conservative government of Nova Scotia made several reforms to the post-secondary education system in Nova Scotia, including the implementation of a needs-based grants system, a tuition freeze, bursaries for Nova Scotia students and the extension of the cap on student loans available for professional students and students with dependants. At the federal level, the Liberals have pledged to commit over $25 billion towards access grants over the next twenty years, the NDP have committed to tabling a Post-Secondary Education Act and the Greens have pledged to relieve 50 per cent of student loan debt upon completion of a degree.

“All of the other parties have dedicated substantial portions of their platforms to post-secondary education issues,” says Larkin. “While we don’t endorse all of the party proposals, it is reassuring that they have recognized post-secondary education as an issue worthy of a platform plank.”

Students have been encouraging all parties running in this election to increase the accessibility and affordability of a post-secondary education through expansion of needs-based grants, Canada Student Loan System reform, increased tri-council funding for graduate students and a dedicated transfer for post-secondary education to the provinces.

“Stephen Harper and Conservative candidates across the country ought to follow the lead of the other party leaders and the Progressive Conservative premier of Nova Scotia,” encourages Larkin. “Increased funding for education is an investment, not an expense and Stephen Harper should recognize that in a period of economic uncertainty we need to focus on education.”

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For more information, please contact:

Courtney Larkin Mark Coffin

President Vice President Education

(902) 494-1277 / (902) 499-5650 (cell) (902) 494-1275/ (902) 237-6275 (cell)

dsupres@dal.ca dsuvped@dal.ca

Anyone But Conservative

The conservative platform is out, and the party has unabashedly neglected students. I am extremely dissapointed in this. I've had my personal issues with many of the policies of the Conservative Party in the past, but this is reaching a new low.

The following exert is the only piece of platform that even remotely relates to students, and aside from being terrible policy, is nowhere near comprehensive enough:

"Enhance the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant with a $2,000 completion bonus for apprentices who complete their training in a nationally recognized Red Seal trade program." From CPC site

Really? That's it? Really?

In the last federal election the DSU and CASA chose the slogan "Vote, it's as easy as 1-23", since the election was on January 23rd (1/23/06). This time if you're concerned at all about the state of post secondary education in Canada, even an uneducated and illiterate bafoon could tell you what the DSU is telling you now: "Vote ABC."

The Liberals, Greens and NDP all have weaknesses in their plans for PSE, but they all have plans. They have recognized the importance of sitting down and saying "Hey, we need a policy on PSE." I wish this posting was a critique of the PSE plank of the Conservative Party Platform, but it can't be, because it doesn't exist. Shame. For shame.